Police: Look out for fake $20 bills

Local law enforcement officials are warning area merchants to be on the lookout for counterfeit $20 bills circulating in the Crossroads area which have been treated with a chemical allowing them to at least partially defeat detection markers.

Sgt. Tony Everett, public information officer with the Big Spring Police Department, said the counterfeit $20 bills have been turning up at several different businesses in and around the Big Spring area.

“I don't have a total dollar amount yet, but we're having multiple reports of the counterfeit bills coming in,” Everett said. “Merchants are being targeted at their busiest times because that decreases the chances of the those passing the bills being caught. We fully expect to see this increase as the holiday season approaches and area stores continue to get busier.

“The bills appear to have been treated with a chemical that at least partially defeats the markers used to detect counterfeit bills. The markers still leave their mark on the bill, but it's not as dark as you'd expect, and because of that a lot of cashiers are going ahead and accepting them.”

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